Modern snow ski are highly sophisticated sporting equipment. Snow skis require a substantial initial investment and are relatively expensive to maintain properly. The quality and fine tuning of a skiers skis have a substantial impact on his performance on the slopes, whether he be an amateur or a professional. For this reason, a great deal of equipment and techniques have been developed for maintaining, storing, and carrying snow skis.
Of particular importance are the skis' edges. Dulled ski edges significantly reduce a skiers ability to carve the snow. Serious skiers spend many hours honing their skis' edges to gain an extra advantage on the slopes.
While normal use tends to dull the edges, this wear is greatly accelerated by impacts occurring during storage and transport of the skis. Most of these impacts are between the skis themselves. Ski bags are in common use and examples are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,336,961; 5,012,921; and 4,715,416. Such bags are essentially designed for carrying and convenience and to protect against the skis damaging other objects. Most ski bags do not, however, protect the skis from damaging each other. No known ski bag adequately protects skis from one another. Therefore, there exists a need to provide a protective covering for individual skis which will protect them from their mated skis. Ideally, such a covering would be useable in conjunction with existing ski carry bags.
The skis storage environment is also important. Skis used in snow become wet which, if not dried, causes them to rust. Therefore, there exists a need for a convenient and inexpensive means for keeping snow skis dry in storage.